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Elyssa Explains

May 27, 2021

Do I need two photographers at my wedding?

If you have two photographers at your wedding, you can get both angles of the first look and the walk down the aisle - here, one photographer has captured the groom's reaction as the bride walks down the aisle. The other photographer photographed the bride walking in

Two photographers: worth it?

A lot of people look at wedding photography offerings and ask “why do I need two photographers at my wedding?” A lot of couples are planning a wedding for the first time, and the idea of having two photographers is a new concept. BUT it is a game changer.

Even if at first glance it seems redundant, I almost always recommend having two photographers if it’s in your wedding photography budget. As much as I love our albums, I would honestly pick having two photographers over an album. You can always order an album after the fact (or ask for one as a wedding present/holiday gift). You can even order a wedding photo album a year or two or more after the wedding.

But you can’t go back in time to have two photographers instead of just one.

So what’s the real difference between two photographers and just one? I think it helps to look at the stages of the day to understand just how significant the role of the second photographer is.

GETTING READY:

During getting ready time, the two photographers can divide and conquer so one partner isn’t neglected in the wedding day storytelling. If there’s just one photographer, that photographer is forced to go back and forth between getting ready locations (missing moments in the process) OR to just ignore one partner’s getting ready story entirely. If you and your partner are getting ready at different venues, it can quite literally be impossible for just one photographer to capture the full story of the day. 

Advice about having two photographers at your wedding

if you have two photographers at your wedding, they can divide and conquer during the getting ready portion of the day

FIRST LOOK/CEREMONY:

During the First Look and the ceremony “Aisle Moment”, two photographers means two angles. One of us is focused on each of you. So there’s no need to prioritize one partner’s reaction over the other’s, and there’s no distracting/stressful rush to get around to the other side. And for the rest of the ceremony, you’ve got multiple angles on all the important moments. (For more about why we love first looks check out this post.)

If you have two photographers at your wedding, you can get both angles of the first look and the walk down the aisle - here, one photographer has captured the bride walking in with her parents

Because there were two of us, we were able to capture both Jenny & her parents’ smiling faces as they walked down the aisle AND Alex’s reaction (she literally took his breath away!).

If you have two photographers at your wedding, you can get both angles of the first look and the walk down the aisle - here, one photographer has captured the groom's reaction as the bride walks down the aisle. The other photographer photographed the bride walking in

GROUP PHOTOS:

There are a couple options here, and different photo teams will handle this differently. The second photographer can stay at the group photos site to shoot candids in between the posed groups and they can help get the next group ready so things move efficiently. Alternatively, the second photographer can be off photographing other important moments or things like details at the ceremony/reception site. We typically stay together during group photos, because having two photographers to help run it makes that whole process run more smoothly – which means you get to relax and enjoy yourself sooner!

RECEPTION:

Two photographers provide multiple angles of the important, planned events like the special dances and toasts. And we can include more of those wonderful reaction moments during the planned events. AND outside of the planned events, when there are two photographers, couples see photos of twice as many magical moments that they didn’t even realize were happening.

A few more points:

Second photographers get you unique images like the bird’s eye view shots here (one dance floor, one ceremony). Those are the sort of images that a solo photographer typically wouldn’t have time to create while still capturing all the other important wedding day moments. 

If there weren’t two of us, we never would’ve taken the chance to get up to the catwalk for a photo of Kayleigh & Nick’s dance at Marbles

Having two photographers at your reception means you can get unique angles

… and getting up to the balcony at Haywood Hall would’ve been impossible with just one photographer, because getting back down to get the other important angles would’ve taken too long and important moments would have been missed.

Having two photographers at your wedding ceremony means you can get unique angles

 

Every photographer sees things differently, so having two photographers means you’re getting two different perspectives on your wedding day. The photographers are on the same team, so it will be a cohesive final vision, but it’s like adding an extra delicious ingredient to the main course. 

And finally, second photographers are also built in back up systems in case, heaven forbid, something happens to one of us during the day.

Want more wedding planning advice? Check out the Elyssa Explains tag!


We believe that love is fun and colorful, and your wedding photographs should be fun and colorful too.

Kivus & Camera are Raleigh Wedding photographers who create bold, colorful, magical memories of your wedding day with beautiful, artistic portraits AND enthusiastic, genuine moments. Your unique love story deserves to be told through unforgettable, breath-taking photographs that stand out from the crowd. Kivus & Camera love creating that magic. After all, as past bride Courtney says, we’re photography sorcerers.

And though we call ourselves Raleigh wedding photographers, we definitely photograph Durham weddings, Chapel Hill weddings, Cary weddings, etc. We’re all over the Triangle area, and we’re happy to head to the beach or mountains and even to places outside of North Carolina! Just let us know where your love story is headed.

Want to know more? Check out more of our images or learn more about our nerdy selves or just send us a note! Can’t wait to hear from you.